Blower device and cleaner

ABSTRACT

A blower device includes an impeller that is rotatable around a rotary shaft extending in an up-down direction; a motor that rotationally drives the impeller; a motor housing accommodating the motor; a cylindrical member disposed outwardly of the housing in a radial direction; and an impeller case accommodating the impeller. A gap is formed between the housing and the cylindrical member. Stationary blades are provided on one of the outer side surface of the housing and the inner side surface of the cylindrical member, and protrude towards the other side surface. At an outer portion of the housing in the radial direction, the blades are disposed side by side in a circumferential direction, and form air-current paths. At least one of the blades includes a protrusion that protrudes from a surface of the at least one of the blades facing the radial direction and contacts the other side surface.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is the U.S. national stage of application No. PCT/JP2016/069386,filed on Jun. 30, 2016.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a blower device and a cleaner.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hitherto, blower devices including a plurality of stationary blades havebeen known, and have been installed in, for example, cleaners. Forexample, an electric blower in Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2012-67615 includes a motor portion, a centrifugal fan,diffusers, and a fan case. The centrifugal fan is rotationally driven bythe motor portion. The diffusers include a plurality of stationaryblades disposed around the centrifugal fan. The fan case has an intakeport, and covers the diffusers. In order to narrow a gap between thestationary blades and the fan case, the fan case has protrusions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the electric blower in Japanese Unexamined PatentApplication Publication No. 2012-67615, since a gap is formed betweenthe protrusions and end portions of the stationary blades, the blowingefficiency of air currents that flow between the stationary blades isreduced. In particular, when resin components are to be connected toeach other, it is difficult to bring the protruding portions and the endportions of the stationary blades into contact with each other due to,for example, assembly errors and dimensional errors of members.

An exemplary blower device according to the present disclosure includesan impeller that is rotatable around a rotary shaft as a center, therotary shaft extending in an up-down direction; a motor thatrotationally drives the impeller; a motor housing that accommodates themotor therein; a cylindrical member that is disposed outwardly of themotor housing in a radial direction; and an impeller case thataccommodates the impeller. A gap is formed between an outer side surfaceof the motor housing and an inner side surface of the cylindricalmember. A plurality of stationary blades are provided on one of sidesurfaces, that is, one of the outer side surface of the motor housingand the inner side surface of the cylindrical member, the plurality ofstationary blades protruding towards the other side surface. At an outerportion of the motor housing in the radial direction, the plurality ofstationary blades are disposed side by side in a circumferentialdirection, and form a plurality of air-current paths. At least one ofthe plurality of stationary blades includes a protrusion. The protrusionprotrudes from an outwardly facing surface of the at least one of theplurality of stationary blades in the radial direction and contacts theother side surface.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a structural example ofa blower device.

FIG. 2A is a top perspective view of an external housing.

FIG. 2B is a top view of the external housing.

FIG. 2C is a bottom perspective view of the external housing.

FIG. 3 is a local enlarged view of a structural example of a gap betweena motor and the external housing.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of an upper housing.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the upper housing.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the upper housing.

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the upper housing.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the upper housing.

FIG. 9 is a local enlarged view of a structural example of a stationaryblade including a protruding portion.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view as seen from an axial direction of astationary blade before the upper housing is fitted to the externalhousing.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view as seen from the axial direction of thestationary blade after the upper housing has been fitted to the externalhousing.

FIG. 12 is a local enlarged view of another structural example of astationary blade including a protruding portion.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a cleaner having the blower deviceinstalled therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is hereunder describedwith reference to the drawings. In the description, with regard to amotor 2 of a blower device 100, a direction of extension of a rotaryshaft of a rotor 21 (refer to a shaft 211 in FIG. 1) is simply called“axial direction”. Further, in the axial direction, a direction from acircuit board 6 towards an impeller 1 is simply called “upward”, and adirection from the impeller 1 towards the circuit board 6 is simplycalled “downward”. A surface of each structural element that facesupward in the axial direction is simply called “upper surface”, and asurface of each structural element that faces downward in the axialdirection is simply called “lower surface”.

In the description, a radial direction with the axial direction as acenter is simply called “radial direction”, and a circumferentialdirection with the axial direction as a center is simply called“circumferential direction”. Further, in the radial direction, adirection towards the rotary shaft is simply called “inward”, and adirection away from the rotary shaft is simply called “outward”.Further, regarding surfaces of each structural element, a side surfaceof each structural element that faces inward in the radial direction issimply called “inner side surface”, and a side surface of eachstructural element that faces outward in the radial direction is simplycalled “outer side surface”.

Regarding devices or apparatuses including the motor 2, in thedescription, a direction in which air current F that is sent out by theblower device 100 flows is called “blowing direction”. In the blowingdirection, a direction from an upstream side towards a downstream sideis simply called “forward”, and a direction from the downstream sidetowards the upstream side is simply called “backward”. Similarly, forexample, in a “rotation direction” of, for example, the impeller 1described below, a direction from an upstream side towards a downstreamside is simply called “forward”, and a direction from the downstreamside towards the upstream side is simply called “backward”.

The names of the directions and surfaces described above do notindicate, for example, actual positional relationships and directionswhen installed in apparatuses.

First, the blower device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure is described. FIG. 1 is a schematic verticalsectional view of a structural example of the blower device 100. Abroken line extending in an up-down direction in FIG. 1 indicates therotary shaft of the motor 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the blower device 100 includes the impeller 1, themotor 2 of an inner-rotor type, a motor housing 3, an external housing4, an impeller case 5, and the circuit board 6.

The impeller 1 includes a plurality of blade members 11. The impeller 1is provided at an upper portion of the motor 2. The impeller 1 isrotatable around the rotary shaft as a center, the rotary shaftextending in the up-down direction. The motor 2 rotationally drives theimpeller 1. A structure of the motor 2 is described in detail below.

The motor housing 3 accommodates the motor 2 therein. The motor housing3 includes an upper housing 31 and a lower housing 32. A lower end ofthe upper housing 31 contacts an upper end of the lower housing 32, andis connected to the upper end of the lower housing 32 by using a member(not shown), such as a screw or a rivet. A structure of the upperhousing 31 is described in detail below.

The lower housing 32 includes a cylindrical portion 321, a cover portion322, and a bearing holding portion 323. The cylindrical portion 321extends upward in the axial direction from a peripheral edge of thecover portion 322 in the radial direction. The cover portion 322 has acentral opening 322 a. The central opening 322 a is provided in acentral portion of the cover portion 322. The bearing holding portion323 is fitted into the central opening 322 a, and holds a bearing 24 bof the motor 2. The bearing holding portion 323 has an opening 323 a towhich the shaft 211 of the motor 2 reaches. The cylindrical portion 321and the cover portion 322 are each a portion of the same member, and areformed separately from the bearing holding portion 323. However, thepresent disclosure is not limited to this example according to theembodiment. The cylindrical portion 321 and the cover portion 322 may beformed as separate members. Alternatively, the bearing holding portion323 may be a portion of a member of which at least one of thecylindrical portion 321 and the cover portion 322 is a portion.

The external housing 4 is a cylindrical member extending in the axialdirection. The external housing 4 is disposed outwardly of the motorhousing 3 in the radial direction. FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are,respectively, a top perspective view, a top view, and a bottomperspective view of a structural example of the external housing 4. Inthe axial direction, an upper end and a lower end of the externalhousing 4 are open. The external housing 4 includes six holding portions41 on an inner side surface 4 a. The shape of the inner side surface 4 ain the axial direction as seen from the circumferential direction iscurved inward in the radial direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 1,the thickness of the external housing 4 in the radial direction is thelargest at a portion thereof opposing lower portions of stationaryblades 7 described below.

The impeller case 5 accommodates the impeller 1. The impeller case 5 isprovided at an upper portion of the external housing 4, and covers theopening in the upper end of the external housing 4. The impeller case 5has an opening portion 51 that is provided upwardly of the impeller 1 inthe axial direction.

The circuit board 6 is a board that uses a resin material, such asepoxy. An electronic component 61 is mounted on a lower surface of thecircuit board 6. The electronic component includes, for example, acontrol circuit and a power supply circuit of the motor 2, and iselectrically connected to the motor 2 (such as, in particular, a stator22) via a wire 62.

In the blower device 100, a gap G is formed between the motor housing 3and the external housing 4. More specifically, the gap G is formedbetween an outer side surface 3 a of the motor housing 3 and the innerside surface 4 a of the external housing 4. Even more specifically, thegap G is formed between an outer side surface 31 a of the upper housing31 described below, an outer side surface 32 a of the lower housing 32,and the inner side surface 4 a of the external housing 4. In the axialdirection, an upper end and a lower end of the gap G are open.Therefore, the air current F can flow through the upper end and thelower end of the gap G.

The blower device 100 causes the air current F that flows into theimpeller case 5 from outside the impeller case 5 via the opening portion51 to be generated by rotationally driving the impeller 1 by the motor2. The air current F is sent out towards an outer side of the impeller 1in the radial direction by the blade members 11 that rotate, and isguided to the upper end of the gap G by an inner surface of the impellercase 5. The air current F that has flown into the gap G flows downwardin the axial direction through ventilation paths P between the pluralityof stationary blades 7 described below, and is discharged out from thelower end of the gap G.

FIG. 3 is a local enlarged view of a structural example of the gap Gbetween the motor housing 3 and the external housing 4. As shown in FIG.3, a first width WH of the upper end of the gap G in the radialdirection is larger than a second width WM in the radial direction atwhich the width in the radial direction at the paths becomes smallest.More specifically, the first width WH of each ventilation path P in theradial direction at the upper end of the gap G between the motor housing3 and the external housing 4 is larger than the second width WM in theradial direction at which the width in the radial direction at eachventilation path P becomes smallest. The width of each ventilation pathP in the radial direction gradually becomes smaller towards a downwardside in the axial direction from the upper end of the gap G, and becomessmallest at an intermediate portion of each ventilation path P.Therefore, at a portion from the upper end of the gap G to the portionof the gap G having the smallest width in the radial direction, thestatic pressure increases in the vicinity of an inlet of eachventilation path P into which the air current F flows, so that it ispossible to suppress or prevent the generation of turbulence.Consequently, it is possible to increase the blowing efficiency of aircurrent F in the gap G between the motor housing 3 and the externalhousing 4.

The width of each ventilation path P in the radial direction graduallyincreases towards the downward side in the axial direction from theportion thereof having the smallest width in the radial direction.However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example accordingto the exemplary embodiment. The portion having the smallest width inthe radial direction may be a lower end of each ventilation path P (thatis, lower ends of the stationary blades 7).

The width of the gap G in the radial direction gradually increasestowards the downward side in the axial direction from the lower end ofeach ventilation path P. A third width WL in the radial direction atwhich the width of the gap G in the radial direction becomes the largestat a location below the lower ends of the stationary blades 7 in theaxial direction is larger than the second width WM in the radialdirection. More specifically, at a location below the lower end of eachventilation path P in the axial direction, the third width WL in theradial direction at which the width of the gap G, which is situatedbetween the motor housing 3 and the external housing 4, in the radialdirection becomes the largest is larger than the second width WM in theradial direction at which the width of each ventilation path P becomessmallest. Since air resistance is reduced due to an increase in thewidth in the radial direction in the vicinity of an outlet of eachventilation path P, it is possible to smoothly pass the air current F inthe vicinity of the outlet of each ventilation path P. Consequently, itis possible to further increase the blowing efficiency of air current Fin the gap G.

In FIG. 3, the width in the radial direction at the location below thelower end of each ventilation path P (that is, at a location below thestationary blades 7) in the axial direction is the largest at the lowerend of the gap G. However, the present disclosure is not limited to thisexample according to the exemplary embodiment. The width in the radialdirection at the location below the lower end of each ventilation path Pin the axial direction and above the lower end of the gap G in the axialdirection (that is, at a location other than the lower end of the gap G)may be the third width WL in the radial direction at which the width inthe radial direction is the largest.

Next, a structure of the motor 2 is described with reference to FIG. 1.The motor 2 includes the rotor 21, the stator 22 that is ring-shaped, abearing 24 a, and the bearing 24 b.

The rotor 21 is a rotor of the motor 2. The rotation angle of the rotor21 is detected by a position detection sensor (not shown). The rotor 21includes the shaft 211 and a plurality of magnets 212. The shaft 211 isthe rotary shaft that extends in the axial up-down direction. Theimpeller 1 is mounted on an upper portion of the shaft 211.

The stator 22 is an armature of the motor 2, is provided at a positionopposing the rotor 21, and drives the rotor 21. More specifically, whenelectric power is supplied to the stator 22 from an external powersupply (not shown) via the circuit board 6, the rotor 21 rotatesrelative to the stator 22. The stator 22 includes a stator core 221, aplurality of coil portions (not shown), and an insulator 223. The statorcore 221 is a laminated steel plate including electromagnetic steelplates that are laminated in the axial direction. Each coil portion is awinding member including a wire that is wound around the insulator 223.Each coil portion is provided in the circumferential direction aroundthe shaft 211 as a center. The insulator 223 is an insulating member inwhich, for example, a resin material is used; and is mounted on thestator core 221 and electrically insulates a portion between the statorcore 221 and each coil portion.

The bearings 24 a and 24 b are for example, ball bearings or sleevebearings. The bearing 24 a rotatably supports the shaft 211 at an upperside in the axial direction. The bearing 24 b rotatably supports theshaft 211 at a lower side in the axial direction.

Next, a structure of the upper housing 31 is described. FIG. 4 is a topperspective view of the upper housing 31. FIG. 5 is a top view of theupper housing 31. FIG. 6 is a side view of the upper housing 31. FIG. 7is a bottom perspective view of the upper housing 31. FIG. 8 is a bottomview of the upper housing 31.

The upper housing 31 includes a cylindrical portion 311, a cover portion312, a bearing holding portion 313, and thirteen stationary blades 7.The cylindrical portion 311 extends downward in the axial direction froma peripheral edge of the cover portion 312 in the radial direction. Thecover portion 312 has a central opening 312 a to which the shaft 211reaches. The central opening 312 a is provided in a central portion ofthe cover portion 312. The bearing holding portion 313 has a cylindricalshape that extends downward in the axial direction from a peripheraledge of the central opening 312 a, and holds the bearing 24 a. Thecylindrical portion 311, the cover portion 312, the bearing holdingportion 313, and the thirteen stationary blades 7 are portions of thesame member (that is, the upper housing 31). However, the presentdisclosure is not limited to this example according to the exemplaryembodiment. At least one of the cylindrical portion 311, the coverportion 312, the bearing holding portion 313, and the thirteenstationary blades 7 may be formed separately from the remaining members.

The plurality of stationary blades 7 are provided on one of sidesurfaces, that is, one of the outer side surface 3 a of the motorhousing 3 and the inner side surface 4 a of the cylindrical member, theplurality of stationary blades 7 protruding towards the other sidesurface. In the exemplary embodiment, the thirteen stationary blades 7are provided on the outer side surface 31 a of the cylindrical portion311 (that is, the outer side surface 31 a of the upper housing 31). Thepresent disclosure is not limited to this example according to theexemplary embodiment. The number of stationary blades 7 may be otherthan thirteen. Desirably, the number of stationary blades 7 differs fromthe number of blade members 11 of the impeller 1, or is a prime number.More desirably, the number of stationary blades 7 differs from thenumber of blade members 11 of the impeller 1, and is a prime number.This makes it possible not to allow the natural frequency generated bythe upper housing 31 to overlap the vibration frequency of the motor 2.Therefore, it is possible to suppress resonance of the motor 2.

At an outer portion of the motor housing 3 in the radial direction, theplurality of stationary blades 7 are disposed side by side in thecircumferential direction and form a plurality of air-current paths.More specifically, the thirteen stationary blades 7 are disposed side byside on the outer side surface 31 a in the circumferential direction,and form the plurality of ventilation paths P in the gap G between themotor housing 3 and the external housing 4. Each ventilation path P is apath provided for the air current F and extending downward in the axialdirection from the upper end of the gap G.

Of the thirteen stationary blades 7 that are disposed side by side inthe circumferential direction, every other stationary blade 7 includingsix stationary blades 7 includes a stationary blade body 74 and aprotruding portion 75. Therefore, when the upper housing 31 is fitted tothe external housing 4, the position of the upper housing 31 withrespect to the external housing 4 in the circumferential direction isdetermined by insertion of the protruding portions 75 into recessedportions 42 of the corresponding holding portions 41.

Seven stationary blades 7 other than the six stationary blades 7described above do not include a protruding portion 75. A pair ofadjacent stationary blades 7 among the thirteen stationary blades 7 donot include a protruding portion 75. However, the present disclosure isnot limited to this example according to the exemplary embodiment. Thepair of stationary blades 7 may both include a protruding portion 75.

The number of stationary blades 7 including a protruding portion 75 isnot limited to this example according to the exemplary embodiment. Ofthe plurality of stationary blades 7 that are disposed side by side inthe circumferential direction, at least one of the stationary blades 7may include a protruding portion 75. Here, in accordance with the numberof stationary blades 7 including a protruding portion 75 and thedisposition of the stationary blades 7, the number of holding portions41 on the inner side surface 4 a of the external housing 4 is increasedor decreased, and the disposition of the holding portions 41 is changed.

Each protruding portion 75 protrudes downward in the axial directionfrom a lower end of its corresponding stationary blade body 74. Theshape of each protruding portion 75 may be one that allows it to be heldby the corresponding holding portion 41. When the upper housing 31 isfitted to the external housing 4, the protruding portions 75 are held bythe holding portions 41 on the inner side surface 4 a of the externalhousing 4.

More specifically, when the upper housing 31 is fitted to the externalhousing 4, the protruding portions 75 are inserted into the recessedportions 42 of the holding portions 41. Here, lower surfaces 74 a of thestationary blade bodies 74 of the stationary blades 7 including thecorresponding protruding portions 75 (see FIG. 7) contact upper surfaces41 a of the holding portions 41. The position of the upper housing 31with respect to the external housing 4 in the axial direction isdetermined by contact of the lower surfaces 74 a with the upper surfaces41 a. Each protruding portion 75 is bonded to its corresponding holdingportion 41 with an adhesive that is previously applied to at least oneof the protruding portion 75 and the recessed portion 42.

Next, a detailed structure of the stationary blades 7 is described. Thestructure of each stationary blade 7 including the correspondingprotruding portion 75 is the same as the structure of each stationaryblade 7 not including a protruding portion 75 except for the protrudingportion 75. Therefore, in the description below, the structure of eachstationary blade 7 including the corresponding protruding portion 75 isgiven as an example, and the stationary blades 7 not including aprotruding portion 75 are not described.

FIG. 9 is a local enlarged view of a structural example of a stationaryblade 7 including a protruding portion 75. FIG. 10 is a sectional viewas seen from the axial direction of a stationary blade 7 before theupper housing 31 is fitted to the external housing 4. FIG. 11 is asectional view as seen from the axial direction of the stationary blade7 after the upper housing 31 has been fitted to the external housing 4.The cross section of the stationary blade 7 shown in FIG. 10 is asection taken along an alternate long and short dashed line X-X in FIG.9 before the fitting, and the cross section of the stationary blade 7shown in FIG. 11 is a section taken along the alternate long and shortdashed line X-X in FIG. 9 after the fitting.

Each stationary blade 7 protrudes outward in the radial direction fromthe outer side surface 31 a, and extends in the axial up-down directionon the outer side surface 31 a. In the gap G, each stationary blade 7protrudes towards the inner side surface 4 a of the external housing 4from the outer side surface 31 a, and extends downward in the axialdirection from the upper end of the gap G.

An upper end portion of each stationary blade 7 is curved towards theback in the rotation direction of the impeller 1. More specifically, inthe axial direction, an upper portion of each stationary blade 7 (inparticular, an upper end portion of each stationary blade body 74) iscurved towards the back in the rotation direction of the impeller 1(towards the left in FIG. 9). Therefore, it becomes easier for the aircurrent F generated by the rotation of the impeller 1 to flow into theventilation paths P between the stationary blades 7.

At least one of the plurality of stationary blades 7 includes aprotrusion 71. In the radial direction, the protrusion 71 protrudes froma surface of the at least one of the plurality of stationary blades 7that faces the other side surface and contacts the other side surface.In the exemplary embodiment, each stationary blade 7 includes thecorresponding protrusion 71 that extends linearly. Each protrusion 71 isprovided on an outer side surface 7 a of the corresponding stationaryblade 7 facing outward in the radial direction. The protrusions 71 aredisposed in the gap G between the upper housing 31 and the externalhousing 4. The protrusions 71 extend downward from an upper side alongthe ventilation paths P. The protrusions 71 each have a linear shape.Each protrusion 71 also protrudes towards the inner side surface 4 a ofthe external housing 4 from the outer side surface 7 a of itscorresponding stationary blade 7, and contacts the inner side surface 4a.

Each protrusion 71 includes a first rib 711 and a second rib 712. Eachfirst rib 711 and each second rib 712 are so-called thread ribs. Eachfirst rib 711 is positioned at an edge of the corresponding stationaryblade 7 that is located at a front side in the rotation direction of theimpeller 1. Each first rib 711 is a protrusion that extends linearlyalong the edge at the front side in the rotation direction of theimpeller 1. Each first rib 711 is formed from an upper end to a lowerend of the edge at the front side in the rotation direction. Therefore,the first ribs 711 can suppress or prevent the air current F flowingthrough the ventilation paths P that are situated forwardly of thestationary blades 7 in the rotation direction from passing between thecorresponding stationary blades 7 and the inner side surface 4 a of theexternal housing 4. That is, the first ribs 711 can suppress or preventthe air current F flowing through the ventilation paths P that aresituated forwardly of the stationary blades 7 in the rotation directionfrom flowing into the ventilation paths P that are situated backwardlyof the stationary blades 7 in the rotation direction. Further, at anedge of each outer side surface 7 a at the front side in the rotationdirection of the impeller 1, the gap G cannot exist between the innerside surface 4 a of the external housing 4 and each stationary blade 7including the first rib 711. Therefore, it is possible to suppress thegeneration of turbulence at the ventilation paths P that are situatedforwardly of the stationary blades 7 including the corresponding firstribs 711 in the rotation direction. Consequently, it is possible toeffectively suppress a reduction in the blowing efficiency of aircurrent F flowing through the ventilation paths P.

The first ribs 711 are not limited to that illustrated in FIG. 9, andmay each be provided at a portion other than the edge of itscorresponding outer side surface 7 a. That is, in the rotation directionof the impeller 1, each first rib 711 may be positioned forwardly of thecenter of the corresponding stationary blade 7 in the circumferentialdirection. According to this structure, it is also possible to suppressor prevent the air current F flowing through the ventilation paths Pthat are situated forwardly of the stationary blades 7 in the rotationdirection from flowing into the ventilation paths P that are situatedbackwardly of the stationary blades 7 in the rotation direction.

Each second rib 712 is positioned at an edge of the correspondingstationary blade 7 that is located at a back side in the rotationdirection of the impeller 1. Each second rib 712 is a protrusion that isprovided on the outer side surface 7 a of the corresponding stationaryblade 7, and extends linearly upward in the axial direction from thelower end of the corresponding stationary blade 7. Therefore, even ifeach second rib 712 is provided on the outer side surface 7 a of thecorresponding stationary blade 7, in a process of manufacturing theupper housing 31, it is possible to remove the upper housing 31 from adie without interfering with the release from the die. An upper end ofeach second rib 712 in the axial direction contacts the correspondingfirst rib 711. That is, each protrusion 71 further includes the secondrib 712 that extends upward in the axial direction from the lower end ofthe corresponding stationary blade 7 and is connected to thecorresponding first rib 711. Therefore, the second ribs 712 cancontribute to suppressing or preventing the air current F flowingthrough the ventilation paths P that are situated forwardly of thestationary blades 7 in the rotation direction from flowing into theventilation paths P that are situated backwardly of the stationaryblades 7 in the rotation direction.

In the radial direction, a height h of each first rib 711 and a height hof each second rib 712 in the radial direction are larger than thedifference between the width of the gap G, which is situated between theouter side surface 31 a of the upper housing 31 and the inner sidesurface 4 a of the external housing 4, in the radial direction and theheight of the corresponding stationary blade 7. Therefore, the firstribs 711 and the second ribs 712 can contact the inner side surface 4 aof the external housing 4 without a gap therebetween.

More specifically, in the radial direction, the height h of each firstrib 711 in the radial direction and the height h of each second rib 712in the radial direction before fitting the upper housing 31 to theexternal housing 4 (see FIG. 10) is larger than a width d of the gap(see FIG. 11), which is situated between the outer side surface 7 a ofthe corresponding stationary blade 7 and the inner side surface 4 a, inthe radial direction after the upper housing 31 has been fitted to theexternal housing 4. Therefore, when the upper housing 31 has been fittedto the external housing 4, as shown in FIG. 11, an end of each first rib711 and an end of each second rib 712 are deformed as a result of beingpressed by the inner side surface 4 a, and contact at a surface thereofthe inner side surface 4 a along the ventilation paths P. That is, theprotrusions 71 each contact at a surface thereof the other side surface.A region of the inner side surface 4 a of the external housing 4 withwhich end portions of the first ribs 711 and end portions of the secondribs 712 contact has a certain amount of contact area.

It is desirable that the sectional shape of each first rib 711 and thesectional shape of each second rib 712 be a sectional shape that allowsthe ends of the first ribs 711 and the ends of the second ribs 712 tocontact the inner side surface 4 a of the external housing 4 without anygap therebetween when the upper housing 31 is fitted to the externalhousing 4. For example, the sectional shape of each first rib 711 andthe sectional shape of each second rib 712 may each be one having a hornat its end as shown in FIG. 10. It is desirable that each horn have anacute angle. This makes it easier to deform the end of each first rib711 and the end of each second rib 712. Therefore, the deformed end ofeach first rib 711 and the deformed end of each second rib 712 moreeasily contact at a surface thereof the inner side surface 4 a of theexternal housing 4 along the ventilation paths P. Consequently, it ispossible to increase the contact area of the inner side surface 4 a witheach stationary blade 7 and bring the first ribs 711 and the second ribs712 into contact with the inner side surface 4 a without any gaptherebetween.

In the circumferential direction, portions between the first ribs 711and the corresponding second ribs 712 are filled with an adhesive (notshown). The adhesive is an adhesive material that flows out from aportion between the lower end of each stationary blade body 74 and thecorresponding holding portion 41 when inserting each protruding portion75 into the recessed portion of its corresponding holding portion 41 andbonding each protruding portion 75 to its corresponding recessed portion42. The adhesive that has flown out to each outer side surface 7 aspreads at the portion between the first rib 711 and the second rib 712on the outer side surface 7 a of its corresponding stationary blade body74. However, the adhesive is blocked by each first rib 711 and itscorresponding second rib 712. That is, the first ribs 711 and the secondribs 712 on the corresponding outer side surfaces 7 a can suppress orprevent leakage of the adhesive to the ventilation paths P. Therefore,it is possible to suppress or prevent a reduction in the blowingefficiency of air current F caused by the adhesive protruding out to theventilation paths P.

In the above-described exemplary embodiment, in order to ensure diereleasability (such as upper and lower blanking process) in the processof manufacturing the upper housing 31, the protrusion 71 of eachstationary blade 7 includes the corresponding second rib 712 extendingin the axial direction. On the other hand, when it is possible to ensuredie releasability by a method other than, for example, forming thesecond ribs 712, the protrusion 71 of each stationary blade 7 mayinclude a third rib 713 extending along another edge of thecorresponding outer side surface 7 a in the circumferential direction.FIG. 12 is a local enlarged view of another structural example of astationary blade 7 including a protruding portion 75.

As shown in FIG. 12, the stationary blade 7 includes a third rib 713 inaddition to a first rib 711. The third rib is a thread rib. Similarly tothe first ribs 711 and the second ribs 712, it is desirable that thesectional shape of the third rib 713 be a sectional shape that allows anend of the third rib 713 to contact the inner side surface 4 a of theexternal housing 4 without any gap therebetween when the upper housing31 is fitted to the external housing 4 (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

Each third rib 713 is positioned at an edge of the correspondingstationary blade 7 that is located at a back side in the rotationdirection of the impeller 1. Each third rib 713 is a protrusion thatextends linearly along the edge at the back side in the rotationdirection of the impeller 1. Each third rib 713 is formed from an upperend to a lower end of the edge at the back side in the rotationdirection. Therefore, the third ribs 713 can suppress or prevent the aircurrent F flowing through the ventilation paths P that are situatedbackwardly of the stationary blades 7 in the rotation direction frompassing between the outer side surfaces 7 a of the correspondingstationary blades 7 and the inner side surface 4 a of the externalhousing 4. That is, the third ribs 713 can suppress or prevent the aircurrent F flowing through the ventilation paths P that are situatedbackwardly of the stationary blades 7 in the rotation direction fromflowing into the ventilation paths P that are situated forwardly of thestationary blades 7 in the rotation direction. Further, at an edge ofeach outer side surface 7 a at the back side in the rotation directionof the impeller 1, a gap cannot exist between the inner side surface 4 aof the external housing 4 and each stationary blade 7 including thethird rib 713. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation ofturbulence at the ventilation paths P that are situated backwardly ofthe stationary blades 7 including the corresponding third ribs 713 inthe rotation direction. Consequently, it is possible to effectivelysuppress a reduction in the blowing efficiency of air current F flowingthrough the ventilation paths P.

The third ribs 713 are not limited to that illustrated in FIG. 12, andmay each be provided at a portion other than the edge of itscorresponding outer side surface 7 a. That is, each third rib 713 may inthe rotation direction of the impeller 1 be positioned backwardly of thecenter of the outer side surface 7 a of the corresponding stationaryblade 7 in the circumferential direction. In other words, eachprotrusion 71 may include the third rib 713 that in the rotationdirection of the impeller 1 is positioned backwardly of the center ofthe corresponding stationary blade 7 in the circumferential direction.Even here, it is possible to suppress or prevent the air current Fflowing through the ventilation paths P that are situated backwardly ofthe stationary blades 7 in the rotation direction from flowing into theventilation paths P that are situated forwardly of the stationary blades7 in the rotation direction.

Although, in FIG. 12, the protrusion 71 includes both the first rib 711and third rib 713, the present disclosure is not limited to this exampleaccording to the exemplary embodiment. The protrusion 71 may include thethird rib 713 in place of the first rib 711. Even here, the third rib713 can suppress or prevent the air current F flowing through theventilation paths P from passing between the outer side surface 7 a ofthe stationary blade 7 and the inner side surface 4 a of the externalhousing 4.

Next, an example in which the above-described blower device 100 isinstalled in a cleaner 200 is described. FIG. 13 is a perspective viewof a structure of the cleaner 200 in which the blower device 100 isinstalled. The cleaner 200 has the blower device 100 installed therein.The cleaner 200 includes a sucking portion 210 and a body 220. Theblower device 100 is installed at the body 220. A suction brush (notshown) is mounted at an intake section 211 of the sucking portion 210.The body 220 includes a dust collecting chamber 221 that is connected tothe sucking portion 210, an accommodation chamber 222 that accommodatesthe blower device 100, and an exhaust space 223 that is connected to aplurality of exhaust sections (not shown). The opening portion 51 of theblower device 100 is connected to the dust collecting chamber 221 via adust collecting filter (not shown). That is, the paths for air current Fthat is sucked by the blower device 100 are connected to the openingportion 51 of the blower device 100 via the sucking portion 210 and thedust collecting chamber 221 in that order from the intake section 211.The accommodation chamber 222 is connected to the exhaust space 223. Theair current F sent out by the blower device 100 is discharged to theoutside of the body 220 from the exhaust sections via the exhaust space223. This makes it possible to realize the cleaner 200 including theblower device 100 that can effectively suppress a reduction in theblowing efficiency.

Although, in FIG. 13, the blower device 100 is installed in the cleaner200 of a stick type, the present disclosure is not limited to thisexample according to the exemplary embodiment. The blower device 100 maybe installed in cleaners of other types. The cleaner 200 may be, forexample, a canister-type cleaner or a handy-type cleaner.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has been describedabove. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to theabove-described exemplary embodiment. The present disclosure may becarried out by making various changes within a scope that does notdepart from the gist of the present disclosure. The above-describedexemplary embodiment may be combined as appropriate.

For example, although, in the above-described exemplary embodiment, theplurality of stationary blades 7 protrude from the outer side surface 31a of the upper housing 31, the present disclosure is not limited to thisexample. At least one of the plurality of stationary blades 7 mayprotrude from the inner side surface 4 a of the external housing 4. Inthis case, the holding portion 41 that holds the lower end of the atleast one of the stationary blades 7 that protrudes from the inner sidesurface 4 a is provided on the outer side surface 3 a of the motorhousing 3 (such as the outer side surface 31 a of the upper housing 31).That is, a plurality of stationary blades 7 may protrude inwardly in theradial direction from the inner side surface 4 a of the external housing4. The holding portions 41 that hold the lower ends of the correspondingstationary blades 7 may be provided on the outer side surface 3 a of themotor housing 3. In other words, the holding portions 41 that hold thelower ends of the corresponding stationary blades 7 may be provided onthe other side surface. By this, when the upper housing 31 is fitted tothe external housing 4, the position of the upper housing 31 withrespect to the external housing 4 in the circumferential direction isdetermined by insertion of the protruding portions 75 into the recessedportions 42 of the corresponding holding portions 41. Further, at leastone of the plurality of stationary blades 7 may be provided on the outerside surface 32 a of the lower housing 32. Alternatively, at least oneof the plurality of stationary blades 7 may be provided on both theouter side surface 31 a and outer side surface 32 a. That is, the atleast one of the stationary blades 7 may include an upper portion thatprotrudes from the outer side surface 31 a and a lower portion thatprotrudes from the outer side surface 32 a.

The present disclosure is suited for a device that sucks and sends outgas and that is required to have high static pressure. In addition tobeing used in the cleaner (FIG. 13), the present disclosure is usable inother blower devices, such as an electric fan or a ventilating fan; andis also usable in electrical devices used for other purposes, such as adrier device.

Features of the above-described preferred embodiments and themodifications thereof may be combined appropriately as long as noconflict arises.

While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed above, it is to be understood that variations andmodifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scopeof the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by thefollowing claims.

1. A blower device comprising: an impeller that is rotatable around arotary shaft as a center, the rotary shaft extending in an up-downdirection; a motor that rotationally drives the impeller; a motorhousing that accommodates the motor therein; a cylindrical member thatis disposed outwardly of the motor housing in a radial direction; and animpeller case that accommodates the impeller, wherein a gap is formedbetween an outer side surface of the motor housing and an inner sidesurface of the cylindrical member, wherein a plurality of stationaryblades are provided on one of side surfaces, that is, one of the outerside surface of the motor housing and the inner side surface of thecylindrical member, the plurality of stationary blades protrudingtowards the other side surface, wherein, at an outer portion of themotor housing in the radial direction, the plurality of stationaryblades are disposed side by side in a circumferential direction, andform a plurality of air-current paths, and wherein at least one of theplurality of stationary blades includes a protrusion that protrudes froma surface of the at least one of the plurality of stationary blades thatin the radial direction faces the other side surface and contacts theother side surface.
 2. The blower device according to claim 1, whereinthe protrusion extends downward from an upper side along the paths. 3.The blower device according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion contactsat a surface thereof the other side surface.
 4. The blower deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein a first width of an upper end of the gapin the radial direction is larger than a second width in the radialdirection at which a width in the radial direction at the paths becomessmallest.
 5. The blower device according to claim 4, wherein a thirdwidth in the radial direction at which a width of the gap in the radialdirection becomes largest at a location below lower ends of thestationary blades in an axial direction is larger than the second widthin the radial direction.
 6. The blower device according to claim 1,wherein an upper end portion of each stationary blade is curved towardsa back in a rotation direction of the impeller.
 7. The blower deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the protrusion includes a first rib thatin a rotation direction of the impeller is positioned forwardly of acenter of the at least one of the plurality of stationary blades in thecircumferential direction.
 8. The blower device according to claim 7,wherein the first rib is positioned at an edge of the at least one ofthe plurality of stationary blades that is located at a front side inthe rotation direction of the impeller.
 9. The blower device accordingto claim 7, wherein the protrusion further includes a second rib thatextends upward in an axial direction from a lower end of the at leastone of the plurality of stationary blades and that is connected to thefirst rib.
 10. The blower device according to claim 9, wherein, in thecircumferential direction, a portion between the first rib and thesecond rib is filled with an adhesive.
 11. The blower device accordingto claim 1, wherein the protrusion includes a third rib that in arotation direction of the impeller is positioned backwardly of a centerof the at least one of the plurality of stationary blades in thecircumferential direction.
 12. The blower device according to claim 11,wherein the third rib is positioned at an edge of the at least one ofthe plurality of stationary blades that is located at a back side in therotation direction of the impeller.
 13. The blower device according toclaim 1, wherein a holding portion that holds a lower end of eachstationary blade is provided on the other side surface.
 14. A cleanercomprising: the blower device according to claim 1.